March 2, 2025 I am at Saint Gregory Abbey in Shawnee, OK
Sirach 27: 4-7 + Psalm 192 + 1 Corinthians 15: 54-58 + Luke 6: 39-45
There is an old saying that came to mind as I was sitting with this Gospel passage: “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear.” The truth of this old saying has become more and more obvious in the past ten years as our talk, conversations and public discourse has dissolved into name-calling, the spinning of false accusations, trashing the character of others with lie upon lie being broadcast with arrogance that defines the truth of obvious facts.
This Gospel urges us to reflect upon the care needed when we speak. It warns us that one who is blind to goodness in others, and who speaks evil of them reveals their own puny measure of openness to God’s goodness. A person of faith stands out by their refusal to speak ill of others. This Gospel suggests that a faithful disciple reaches a level of maturity when only good and kind speech wells up from within and passes through the lips.
That old saying suggests that it is easy to speak well of others when everything is going along just the way we like. But let a little trouble come, a little conflict, and what is within one’s heart begins to show. Those who can resist returning insult for insult when others speak harshly show what they are mad of and reveal what their heart is like when they speak or respond.
Today’s mass media and politicians are a source of many new words. I read an article somewhere no long ago on the topic of Honesty. The writer suggested that when we speak, tact is kind, diplomacy is useful, understatements can be harmless and sometimes entertaining, but there is something new that is dishonest and dangerous. He calls that “Doublespeak.” Jesus warns us about that. Doublespeak is when a “courtesy fence” is put up to keep out asylum seekers. The fence is not “electrified” but “energized” with 9,000 volts. It sounds a lot nicer, but it isn’t Doublespeak talks about “collateral damage” which really means women, children and innocent civilians are dead. We call “solitary confinement” a “management unit” when in fact, it’s torture.
Disciples of Jesus who get the message of this Gospel are on the alert and careful about what is said because it always reveals the deepest truth. Good comes from a good heart both with words and deeds. Words are every bit as powerful as deeds. One unkind word can destroy a relationship forever. A person’s words, once spoken become an image of that person. Some of us remember a time when you could “give someone your word” and it could establish a bond that was solid and true.
We would do well to regain something of the insight we heard in that first reading from Sirach. We cannot speak of others with disrespect using ugly gender, racial and social labels and claim Jesus Christ as our savior. There are some who can never stop talking about themselves, about how great they are and what they have accomplished, usually at someone else’s cost. There are some who have appointed themselves as critical judges, and no one want to be around them. Some are pessimistic and can spoil a party by their arrival. We can all learn a lot by listening to ourselves. Words reveal our heart.